Noun: Possessive Case

Observe the following sentences carefully.

      1.   The bird’s nest is in my garden.

      2.   Meera found Reena’s pencil.

      3.   Tia lost her brother’s pen.

      4.   Mrs. Seema’s car is blue in color.

In the above mentioned sentences, bird’s, Reena’s, brother’s, Mrs. Seema’s are in the Possessive Case because each of these words denotes the possessor or owner of anything.

We use possessive case to show possession (i.e. ownership or belongings).

Therefore, Possessive case of a noun or pronoun shows ownership or association.

How to Form the Possessive Case

Study the Nouns in the Possessive Case in the following sentences.

      1.   The girl’s grandma is not well.

      2.   The boy’s bat is stolen.

      3.   David’s father is a nice person.

In the above sentences the Nouns in the Possessive Case are Singular. So, we can say that the Possessive Case of a Singular Noun is formed by adding an apostrophe (‘) and “s” to the noun.

Let’s see some more examples:

      1.   “the house of Mita” can be written as “Mita’s house”.

      2.   “the car of my friend” can be written as “my friend’s car”.

      3.   “the field of the farmer” can be written as “the farmer’s field”.

Now study the Nouns in the Possessive Case in the following Sentences.

      1.   Many boys’ pencils wore lost.

      2.   Today is my parents’ anniversary.

      3.   The clowns’ noses were shining.

In the above sentences the Nouns in the Possessive Case are Plural. So, we can say that the Possessive Case of a Plural Noun that ends in “s” is formed by adding only an apostrophe (‘) the last letter of the word. We do not add another “s” if plural noun ends in “s”.

Let’s see some more examples:

      1.   “the crowns of the kings” can be written as “the kings’ crowns”.

      2.   “the bones of the dogs” can be written as “the dogs’ bones”.

      3.   “the books of the teachers” can be written as “the teachers’ books”.

Now examine these sentences.

      1.   The children’s bag packs are in the box.

      2.   The men’s shirts were red in color.

      3.   The women’s dresses are on the shelf.

In the above sentences the Nouns in the Possessive Case are Plural but do not ends in “s”. So, we can say that the Possessive Case of a Plural Noun that do not ends in “s” is formed by adding an apostrophe (‘) and “s” to the noun.

Let’s see some more examples:

      1.   “the wool of the sheep” can be written as “the sheep’s wool”.

      2.   “the purses of the women” can be written as “the women’s purses”.

      3.   “the cheese of the mice” can be written as “the mice’s cheese”.

Note:

      1.   The Possessive Case is used when the Noun represents some living thing.

     Example: cow’s tail, girl’s doll etc.

      2.   But when the Noun represents any non-living thing, possession is generally expressed by using preposition ‘of’.

     Example: cover of the book, legs of the table etc.

     It is incorrect to write book’s cover or table’s legs